Loris Capirossi sends out warning to Honda

Loris Capirossi sends out warning to Honda

Loris Capirossi enjoyed his first preseason showdown with his former Honda colleagues at Sepang last week, after switching to Ducati at the end of last season. With compatriot Max Biaggi joining Valentino Rossi aboard the formidable RC211V, Capirossi knows that he will have his work cut out if he wants to join the battle for national honour in his passionate homeland. However, after some blistering laps in the Malaysian sunshine and the completion of valuable set-up work, the Italian sent out a warning to his feuding rivals.

`Valentino and Max have the World Championship winning bike, but Ducati are working hard and we are coming for them,´ he declared. `At the moment it is just a prototype but it is working so good. Compared to the Honda for sure it is not perfect, but we are getting there. We set some good lap times at Phillip Island and at Jerez we were so good. We made constant progress at Sepang and a couple more days testing would have given us the chance of doing a fantastic job. We are up there with the rest and we have a lot of potential to improve, I can see it´s going to be a great championship.´
The battle which ensued between the Italian trio in the final part of the test has been well documented, but the former 250cc World Champion revealed that the cat and mouse games were ongoing throughout the three days. `I was trying to follow the Honda guys so I could compare a little, but every time I got close they shut off the gas. Then when they tried to get close to me, I would shut off the gas too because I didn´t want to show them anything.´
If the Sepang spectacle was anything to go by, MotoGP fans are in for a real treat in 2003, and Capirossi believes they are the only guaranteed winners. `I think this year will be a great battle and for sure, the Italian fans will enjoy it a lot. With myself on an Italian bike and Valentino and Max both on the Honda, it is an excellent challenge and I think many people will enjoy it.´